Following three days of fact-finding visits and public meetings in Tampa, Florida, Managing Commissioner Harry N. Walters said that, “the Commission on the Future for America’s Veterans has taken major strides towards its goal of developing a vision and plan for how this nation can best deliver needed benefits and services to our veterans far into the future.”  The centerpiece of the Tampa visit was an open, public “town hall” meeting held on Wednesday night in which hundreds of Florida residents (some all the way from Miami) were able to speak directly to the Commission about their experiences with VA today and their hopes for its future.  This “town hall” meeting, called “Conversations on the Future for America’s Veterans”, was also webcast live over the Internet.

“Our Commission was able to hear the heart-felt views and insightful ideas of Tampa Bay veterans, caregivers and supporters of veterans, as well as leading medical professionals working to improve veterans’ lives,” said Harry Walters, who previously served as Administrator of Veterans Affairs under President Ronald Reagan.  “We are grateful to all the Floridians who cared enough to come to our meetings, take us on tours, and provide expert testimony to the Commission.  Our Commissioners heard them loud and clear, and we will make sure that their ideas become part of this Commission’s work,” Walters said.

Over the past week, the Commission conducted comprehensive tours of the VA nursing home at Bay Pines and the polytrauma and spinal cord injury units at the Haley VA hospital in Tampa.  The Commission also heard several hours of expert testimony about the future of VA research, academic affiliations, and information management and technology.  On Wednesday, the Commission was joined by retired General Norman H. Schwarzkopf, himself a Tampa resident, who is supporting the Commission as a member of its National Leadership Council.  Schwarzkopf praised the Commission for its work to fulfill America’s obligation to care for those men and women who defend our nation.

Among the experts who spoke to the Commission were: Dr. Steven Scott, Medical Director, Tampa Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center; Dr. Joel Kupersmith, VA Chief of Research and Development; Dr. Paul Tibbits, VA Deputy Chief Information Officer; Dr. Malcolm Cox, Chief Academic Affiliations Officer; Dr. Jordan J. Cohen of the American Association of Medical Colleges; Dr. Lynn Wecker, Associate Dean for Research at the University of South Florida College of Medicine; and Mr. Gary Ewart, Director of Research at Friends of VA Research.

The Commission on the Future for America’s Veterans (www.future4vets.org) began operating in September 2006 as a private, independent, analytical body to examine the needs of veterans 20 years in the future, and develop recommendations for how the federal government should meet those needs.  Over the next 15 months, the Commission will continue holding meetings and conducting research to develop and deliver recommendations to the President, the Congress, and the America public by Memorial Day 2008.  The Commission was created by the Veterans Coalition, an organization that includes The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), AMVETS, Vietnam Veterans of America, Blinded American Veterans, Jewish War Veterans, and  Military Order of the Purple Heart.

The Commission is currently engaged in a multi-state tour entitled “Conversations on the Future for America’s Veterans”, actively seeking input from military veterans, veterans’ experts, and other Americans interested in supporting veterans.  The “Conversation” began at Charleston, West Virginia in January, continued this week in Tampa, Florida and next goes to San Diego, California at the end of May, and then on to Cincinnati in July.

The Commission on the Future for America’s Veterans is pleased to announce that the first Webcast of it’s Town Hall Meeting series, “Conversation on the Future for America’s Veterans,” will take place on Wednesday, March 14, 2007, from 7 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time.  The Town Hall meeting will originate from Tampa, Florida, where the Commission will be conducting a number of visits and meetings next week.

The purpose of the “Conversation” is to actively engage the American people in helping the Commission develop a long term, strategic plan for meeting the needs of veterans decades into the future.  Participants of this Webcast will be able to listen to the entire meeting online, view any materials presented, and will also have the opportunity to pose questions and comments to the panel at any time during the meeting via Web Q&A.  

Prior to the day of the Meeting, please test your system at http://www.vcall.com/vcall/system_test.asp (simply click on the orange “Test My Computer First” button).  This will automatically run your computer through a simple set of tests.  Please note, you may need to install a few things (Java plug-in, Macromedia Flash player, etc.) if your computer does not pass the system tests.  Please see your I.T. staff should you need assistance with these installations.  A complete list of system requirements is can be found at: http://www.vcall.com/vcall/requirements.asp.
 
To participate in the Web cast of the meeting on Wednesday, March 14th, at 7 pm ET, please follow the instructions below (we recommend you login 15 minutes prior to the 7pm start time):
 
1. Go to: http://www.vcall.com/vcall/participant_login.htm

2. Enter your first name, last name, and email address as requested. Enter the room number: 82882 

Should you have any technical questions while or after testing your system, please contact technical support at support@vcall.com

The Commission on the Future for America’s Veterans was established in September 2006 as a private, independent, analytical body to examine the needs of veterans 20 years in the future, and develop recommendations for how the federal government should meet those needs.  Over the next year, the Commission will hold meetings and conduct independent research to deliver a plan of action to the President, the Congress, and the America public by the spring of 2008.

The Commission on the Future for America’s Veterans today announced that they will be expanding the reach of their activities to a worldwide audience by broadcasting their proceedings over the Internet.  The first “virtual town hall meeting” will take place on March 14 at 7:00 PM when their live town hall meeting in Tampa, Florida is opened up to web participation.  Details on how to participate in the ‘virtual’ town hall meeting can be found at the Commission’s website: www.future4vets.org.

“We are very pleased to expand our activities beyond the confines of auditoriums and conference rooms through the use of modern technology that allows anyone with a computer and an Internet connection to fully take part in our meetings,” said Harry N. Walters, Managing Commissioner and former VA Administrator.  “Not only will web participants see and hear the same things as the live audience, they will also be able to submit comments and questions over the Internet to the Commissioners,” said Walters.

“The shocking stories about living conditions for many of our wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center bring home the problems that can occur when a health care system is strained to the breaking point,” Walters said.  “With a looming budget crisis facing the Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal programs, it is absolutely imperative that we begin planning today to ensure that our future veterans get the treatment they deserve.  That’s what this Commission is all about: looking at the system today, envisioning where it needs to be in the future, and developing plans to get there from here,” Walters said.

The Commission on the Future for America’s Veterans began operating in September 2006 as a private, independent, analytical body to examine the needs of veterans 20 years in the future, and develop recommendations for how the federal government should meet those needs.  Over the next 15 months, the Commission will continue holding meetings and conducting research to develop and deliver recommendations to the President, the Congress, and the America public by Memorial Day 2008.  The Commission was created by the Veterans Coalition, an organization comprised of The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), and AMVETS.

The Commission is currently engaged in a multi-state tour entitled “Conversations on the Future for America’s Veterans”, actively seeking input from military veterans, veterans’ experts, and other Americans interested in supporting veterans.  The “Conversation” began at Charleston, West Virginia in January, continues with another Town Hall meeting on March 14 in Tampa, Florida and next goes to San Diego, California at the end of May.  All future town hall meetings of the Commission will be broadcast as ‘virtual’ town hall meetings on the web.